DSK wrote in message ...
nospam wrote:
Now they have driven all the small operations out of business and
consolidated their monopoly by buying Boats U.S. can West Marine
possibly get any worse?

Maybe I'm just lucky, but I have not had any of the problems you
describe in any of the West Marine stores. Their catalog sales staff has
gone downhill in the past five years, but then so has everything else.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I have had few problems with West Marine here in Tallahassee. I also
do not expect them to be complete experts on everything. Here, they
have one guy who knows sailboats and he is helpful. The store is
attractive and well run and is geared toward power boaters, as
expected. My boating needs are ussually sort of strange so I don't
expect them to really be able to help with everything.

David OHara